Underwater photography is the best way to capture lasting memories about great dives and to show friends and family what you are up to and why you love scuba diving so much. The good news is that underwater photography is constantly getting cheaper and easier, especially with the evolvement of digital techniques.

Rental equipment

Nowadays most dive schools rent out photographic equipment, which means that you are no longer required to make a big investment when you like to try underwater photography.

Generally, you will find that you can rent a camera from as little as $20 a day, which will also include the film or the images on CD. Prices may vary though, and digital cameras are generally more expensive to rent. You might want to consider paying this little extra though, because it gives you the opportunity to digitally enhance your images later on.

Photography specialty

It takes some experience to take great photos under water. If you like, you can do a Dive Specialty for underwater photography if your dive school offers one, or you can do a Specialty Dive as part of your SSI Advanced Open Water Certificate.

Tips and tricks

Things you should take into account while taking photographs under water:

• Although you want to concentrate on your pictures, you should never forget dive safety, you should make sure you do not loose track of your buddies and you should also ensure that you do not damage corals or harass wildlife while taking photographs.
• Fish move. And sometimes surprisingly fast. This means that some of your pictures will evidently turn out to be hazy.
• Sea water contains many particles. Therefore it is often better not to use a flash. The flashlight bounces back off the particles and causes light spots and stains to appear on your photo.
• The deeper you go under water, the more colours you loose from your picture. After a few metres below see level you loose all the reds and a little further down you’ll loose all the yellows too. If you go deep enough (depending on the amount of sunlight and the clarity of the water) the only colour left in the spectre is blue.
• Always take 3-5 photos of one subject, each from a slightly different angle. This gives you the best chance that one of them will work out fine, considering the difficulties mentioned above.
• Try to take your photos from the bottom up. This ensures that you catch as much sunlight as you can and that your pictures are likely to have some colour left in them.

Happy snapping!